APRIL 2, 2009 ISSUE
Landslide Closes Portions of Blue Ridge Parkway This Season
As the temperatures start to moderate and spring fever starts to set in, many are preparing to venture outdoors to enjoy the many offerings of the region, including the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This season, however, travelers will find that a portion of the Parkway has been closed due to a landslide around milepost 270 in Boone. The section is not set to reopen until December 2009.
The closing encompasses a two-mile section of Blue Ridge Parkway between U.S. Highway 221 and Phillips Gap Road. The area will undergo stabilization work following a recent landslide around milepost 270 in Boone that destroyed parts of the Parkway. The detour of this area is equal to 11 miles.
Directions for detour if traveling south along Parkway :
Exit Phillips Gap Road (NC 1168) milepost 269.8, to Idlewood Road (NC 1003), to U.S. 221 south, through the community of Deep Gap and connect back to the Parkway on U.S. 221 or Old U.S. 421 at milepost 280.9 at milepost 276.4.
Directions for detour if traveling north along Parkway:
Exit the Parkway at milepost 280.9, to Old U.S. 421 or U.S. 221, continuing north on Idlewood Road (NC 1003) through the Deep Gap community to the Parkway at Phillips Gap Road (NC 1168) at milepost 269.8.
Additional Parkway Closings:
• In Blowing Rock, a section between milepost 285.5 and 292 has been closed for repairs on the Goshen Creek Bridge and is slated to reopen June 1.
• Near Asheville, the Parkway has been closed from Milepost 367.6 to 355.3 due to another rockslide between the entrance to the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area and the entrance to Mount Mitchell State Park. The closed section includes the Craggy Gardens Visitors Center. Officials are optimistic about reopening Craggy Gardens Visitor Center at Milepost 364, along with one lane of the Blue Ridge Parkway, by May 15.
For more information about the Blue Ridge Parkway and closings, click to www.nps.gov/blri/.
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